Previous years saw audiences in the thousands and it broke the record for the amount of people at the library in any one day.
But Feastock this is not.
Because the performances are distributed into the corners and crevices of our huge public library, it never feels crowded. There's a wonderful sense of discovery when you come across a musician nestled among the books, or step into the elevator only to be confronted by a singer/songwriter with an acoustic guitar and a story to tell.
The idea and the work which goes into organising it can be attributed to local musician Brendan Christie, who started the event around three years ago.
"Nook and Cranny is basically an attempt to get as much of the local music community in one place," he explains. "The reason why it's called Nook and Cranny is because we're shoving them in a place that doesn't really grace music all that much.
"But then, being a library, it's a large building with a lot of different places that a lot of people don't always go, so we want to encourage people to explore this place and discover all the music we have in the city.
"So we hide them in nooks and crannies and that's what the festival plays off."
Highlights from last year included a choir in the stairwell, an experimental musician in the entranceway, and a folk guitarist on a tabletop in the young adults section. But my favorite performance was Soaked Oats, tucked away comfortably between the book stacks, almost melting into the environment around them. I'm happy to see they're back again this year along with a few other recognisable names.
Even more exciting is the number of unrecognisable names.
"I haven't had to turn down any bands yet," Christie said. "I want it to be a festival that matches experienced musicians with, like, some people who are performing for the first time. It's kind of open access, so anyone can be part of it.
"I think when you put together something like this and it's open access you get all kinds of creativity coming out the woodwork, and you see things that you didn't even know existed in your own backyard."
Christie runs the free event on a tiny budget and isn't trying to make any money, so all of this is only possible because people are willing to donate their time to make cool stuff happen. There'll be around 30 volunteers helping out, as well as Otago Polytechnic students volunteering their time to film the performances, and local businesses donating equipment and food.
Not to mention the Dunedin public library staff who have to field questions from confused regulars (the third floor will be designated a "no music zone").
It goes without saying that coordinating that many people is a tough job, but Christie says it's worth it.
"I feel really rewarded putting on these kinds of community festivals because it brings people together in a way and celebrates what makes Dunedin such a good place to live.
"It's time that I'm happy to give of myself."
See it, hear it
Nook and Cranny Music Festival, Sunday, May 27, 11am-4pm, Dunedin Public Library.
For more from Fraser Thompson go to dunedinsound.com.
